Some in the industry are saying that the designer brand may bring legitimacy to the wearables market.
Fossil has recently unveiled a line of new wearable technology in the form of smartwatches, making the designer brand one of the most recent entries into this ecosystem among companies that had not previously been tech-focused.
As of yet, other big names in the same category have not managed to see any large scale successes with wearables.
Companies such as Adidas, Nike and Under Armour have all stepped into wearable technology in various forms, despite the fact that tech has not previously been a central component of their offerings. As of yet, major success has not been seen by any of those brands. In fact, while Under Armour has placed a delay on it device, Nike has altogether abandoned its own. Fossil’s hope is that its name will bring some legitimacy to this brand of the market and that consumers will see the draw of these devices in fashion as much as function.
So far, the wearable technology market has proven to be a very challenging one to all companies involved.
Even the wearable tech that has been launched by companies that are giants in the technology industry has not been flying off the shelves. In the smartwatch from Fossil, the hope is that the partnership between that brand and IBM will show that the design of the device can be made appealing enough for consumers to want to wear it while the features will be attractive enough to offer more than just a novelty.
Aside from what consumers actually choose to do, the entry of Fossil into this space, particularly in partnership with IBM, could help to underscore the relevance of these devices within the overall technology environment.
Fossil is currently the leading fashion watch manufacturer worldwide. That company manufactures watches for several of the top designer brands in addition to the wristwatches that they create under their own name. By bringing that name into wearable technology, it may be another much needed shot in the arm for the industry in the eyes of both the companies involved and for consumers.
The technology giant and the designer accessory brand are coming together for wearables fashion and functionality.
As soon as the Android Wear operating system for wearables such as the smartwatch were announced, Google stated that a number of large brands such as LG, HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and Asus would all be powered by the OS later on this year.
That said, Google also dropped another important name, though not of a tech brand: Fossil.
Fossil is a designer brand of accessories and clothing and will now be working with Google in the design of its smartwatch, causing its shares to rise considerably. The designer brand is based in Richardson, Texas. Its chief strategy and marketing officer, Greg McKelvey said that it is a company that is driven by design and innovation in the creation of products with which customers will simply fall in love.
Now the brand is hoping that a new kind of accessory, the smartwatch, will be something its customers love.
McKelvey released a statement in which he explained the company’s perspective on these wearables. In it, he said that “We believe we are uniquely positioned to develop and bring to market products for our fashion customers that marry the beauty of our designs, the promise of our brands and now the function of new technology.”
He pointed out that this form of wearable technology is “still very much in the formative research and development stage,” but that they are actively taking part in a drive toward wearables that will bring tech and fashion together.
As it is becoming widely believed that one of the primary barriers standing in the way of the widespread adoption of wearable technology is its clunky, large, science fiction geek look, the development of a device by a fashion designer could mean that this struggle could be overcome. Many feel that companies need to work together in order to speed up the development of devices that people will actually wear, instead of releasing one generation after the next that draws curiosity but doesn’t generate the necessary sales.
It will be interesting to see what designers do to the smartwatch over the next few months, as it could change the face – so to speak – of these devices, altogether.
